Harley Davidson Street Rod 750 - User Review

This first ride review of the Harley Davidson Street Rod 750 is compiled by my colleague and a competitive motorsport racer, Rajesh D’Souza. Rajesh is a competitive Go Karting and motorsport racer in India and has a motorsport racing career of 17 years. Here is the review. Having taken the new Harley Street Rod 750 for a ride, let me share a few observation after the brief period I spent with the newest HD in town. For starters, it borrows a fair share of its looks from the HD Street 750, a bike well known for two things – 1) First HD motorcycle to be manufactured in India (or anywhere out of Kansas City, Missouri) and 2) The cheapest Harley Davidson that money can buy in India.

Harley Davidson Street Rod 750 – Rear Profile

The new Street Rod 750 is identical in several aspects, except that it’s not the cheapest Harley around. It’s priced Rs 95,000 higher than the Street 750 model; a premium that you will need to pay for its style, along with some key changes in the handlebar, ground clearance, turn angle and shock absorbers. It doesn’t look as intimidating as some of its higher end siblings but it does looks more sporty, a word I never thought one would get to use for a Harley Davidson. Also Read: Harley Davidson India hikes prices by upto 1.5 percent in India

Harley Davidson Street Rod 750 – Side Profile

So if you’re in the market for a big mean machine that’ll make a lot of noise and make heads turn, then the Street Rod may not be what you are looking for. On the other hand, if you’re a big bike virgin and do not mind mixing a bit of sportiness with muscle, then this is a good cruiser to begin with. It’s low slung and not very heavy (at least as compared to other 1000 cc plus cruisers). It’s easy to get on and unless you’re severely vertically challenged, planting both feet firmly on the ground at standstill should be an easy task.

Once it’s on the move, it’s easy enough to maneuver. Although I would have personally preferred a more relaxed cruiser style seating. The low slung seat and the increased ground clearance bring the foot pegs far too close to the seat and the straight handlebar is a bit of stretch for people of average Indian height. Another mild annoyance is the lack of springs in the front foot pegs; springs that force a foot peg down in case you fold it up by mistake. Looking for a folded foot peg while riding isn’t something I’d like to do often.

While this is one of the new breed of Harleys with a big ol’ radiator up front to provide some liquid cooling to the 750cc twin mill, keep in mind, this is a Harley after all. Expect your inner thighs to get grilled medium rare during a traffic stop. Deal with it. All in all, this motorcycle doesn’t try to give you the world, but it does give the buyer what he’s looking for – a big 750 cc engine, manageable weight, an easy cruiser and most importantly – the Harley Davidson swag.

First Published on August 2, 2017 7:53 PM ISTLast updated on August 2, 2017 7:53 PM IST